The new Porsche Panamera reconciles two contrasting characteristics more than ever before: the performance of a genuine sports car and the comfort of a luxury saloon.

Despite the slight increase in height, the four-door car looks much lower and longer. This is primarily due to the reduced height above the rear of the passenger compartment – reduced by 20 mm – while maintaining consistently good headroom. This changes the car’s overall image completely. The wheelbase has been increased by 30 mm to 2,950 mm; this too lengthens the car’s proportions. The rear overhang is longer, giving the car a more powerful appearance.

Two precisely executed edges on the lateral roof line visually lower the silhouette’s centre of gravity. The look of the side windows has also been redesigned: its visually continuous surface, together with its lines on the rear body, creates a stylistic affinity to the Porsche 911. 

Clockwise from top left: the 2017 and 2014 Panameras with the 2016 911 Carrera 4S, bottom, provided as a comparison.

As evident from the images above, Porsche's press release is spot on. The new Panamera gets rid of the old model's ungainly hunchback shape, with the rear LED light bar, together with the sharply creased tail and upper bumper, developing a clear link to the 911. As per Porsche's press release, the new model creates a clearly defined identity as a sports-oriented GT, improving significantly upon the elephantine, confusing oddity that was the previous model.